Artist-in-Residence
Christikon is delighted to welcome Artist-in-Residence, John Hermanson, who brings soul-stirring music and deep theological imagination. Through our partnership with Hope Lutheran Church in Bozeman’s new Center for the Arts, John will spend the summer engaging with campers and staff, offering music and reflection that stirs faith in fresh ways. John looks forward to playing music for worship, offering new artist retreats and adult backpacking trips, and writing music that will enliven our Christikon community for many years to come! At times during the summer, John will be joined by Dr. Maren Haynes Marchesini, Director of Worship and Music at Hope Lutheran Church in Bozeman, who will share from her vast experience and creativity.
Join John and Maren for the Contemplative Artist Retreat this summer!
John Hermanson
Maren Haynes Marchesini
John Hermanson is an award-winning songwriter and composer of the acclaimed acoustic duo Storyhill alongside Bozeman musician Chris Cunningham, indie bands The Hopefuls and Alva Star, as well as independent and commercial music spanning orchestral, world, pop, and rock genres. John has served Lutheran communities in Minnesota, Washington state, and Montana, and his sacred music is in regular rotation at centers of Lutheran liturgy like Holden Village (Washington), Christikon (Montana), and House of Mercy (Minneapolis). Rooted in prophetic and mystical traditions, John’s sacred songs raise ancient yet urgent questions about radical love and mutual responsibility, written in his compelling, distinctive folk style. John now works at Hope Lutheran Church in Bozeman as a permanent Artist-in-Residence, sound engineer, and co-founder of a new Center for the Arts at Hope Lutheran that launched in 2025. John grew up going to camp at Christikon and looks forward to returning to “the place where I am most wanted—where everything that I am comes from,” as he wrote in the song “Boulder River” (from the Storyhill album Echoes, 1997).
Dr. Maren Haynes Marchesini is a choral director, cellist, vocalist, composer, and ethnomusicologist with interests in congregational music, contemplative practices, ritual, and community formation. She has served in music ministry at ecumenical churches and seminaries in Montana, Washington, California, and Arizona, and she brings a passion for diversity, community, collaboration, and innovation in church music and arts. Maren now works as Director of Worship and Music at Hope Lutheran Church in Bozeman, and she co-founded a new Center for the Arts at Hope Lutheran alongside John Hermanson in 2025. She also serves as Interim Director of the Bozeman Symphonic Choir, President of the Board for the Kaj Seifert Foundation for Aspiring Young Artists, and performs with Roots in the Sky Chamber Choir, Opus Treble Ensemble, Hemispheres instrumental duo, and with Christikon Artist-in-Residence John Hermanson.